By Daniel Nardini
As I write this, there are right wing extremists who have called upon their followers to threaten those who oversee the election process and the actual election results, threaten to kill and attack people who demonstrate “for the other side,” and threaten to harm anyone who works in the state and federal governments. We are entering an era where many right wing extremists feel that only violence is necessary to bring about the change they want. In less than two weeks before the mid-term elections, there are now already cases where people who are trying to make sure our election process is fair are being targeted.
This is frightening because their only interest is to insure a clean election. These people, known as pollsters, only want to make sure that people are allowed to vote and are not intimidated by hostile outside forces from doing their civic duty. And if the election results are not what these extremists want, they will call for civil war and the mass killing of these innocent pollsters who helped our electoral process work. The sad part is that there are certain politicians who have given in to this extreme rhetoric. It only works to undermine the electoral process Americans take for granted. Further, right wing groups are trying to recruit people to their cause by stating that the “other side” (i.e. The Democratic Party, the Democratic Socialists of America, ANTIFA, and other extreme left wing parties and groups) are the “true enemies of America.”
Problem is, these tactics are the exact opposite of how to save a democratic society like America, and how to safeguard the rights of voters from threats and intimidation. More than that, it seems that in states controlled by Republicans have passed more restrictive laws about who can vote, and who qualifies to vote. This in of itself can be an issue in this upcoming election and all future elections. In my case I am not for the Democratic Party, but they have not passed what I call voter suppression laws. They have not engaged in threatening and intimidating people at polling stations. These threats have come from the extreme political right. How much worse could it get? I cannot bear to think about it. I can only hope that more than enough good people will stand up to this attempt by a violent minority to take away what is each and every American’s right; the right to vote. On January 6, 2021, extremists tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. They failed. Let us hope they fail in the mid-term elections as well.
The Right Wing Politics of Fear Against Voters
By Daniel Nardini
This is frightening because their only interest is to insure a clean election. These people, known as pollsters, only want to make sure that people are allowed to vote and are not intimidated by hostile outside forces from doing their civic duty. And if the election results are not what these extremists want, they will call for civil war and the mass killing of these innocent pollsters who helped our electoral process work. The sad part is that there are certain politicians who have given in to this extreme rhetoric. It only works to undermine the electoral process Americans take for granted. Further, right wing groups are trying to recruit people to their cause by stating that the “other side” (i.e. The Democratic Party, the Democratic Socialists of America, ANTIFA, and other extreme left wing parties and groups) are the “true enemies of America.”
Problem is, these tactics are the exact opposite of how to save a democratic society like America, and how to safeguard the rights of voters from threats and intimidation. More than that, it seems that in states controlled by Republicans have passed more restrictive laws about who can vote, and who qualifies to vote. This in of itself can be an issue in this upcoming election and all future elections. In my case I am not for the Democratic Party, but they have not passed what I call voter suppression laws. They have not engaged in threatening and intimidating people at polling stations. These threats have come from the extreme political right. How much worse could it get? I cannot bear to think about it. I can only hope that more than enough good people will stand up to this attempt by a violent minority to take away what is each and every American’s right; the right to vote. On January 6, 2021, extremists tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. They failed. Let us hope they fail in the mid-term elections as well.